These numbers can be used in some test situations where you want to eliminate the possibility of accidentally sending SMS or calling someone. 555-01xx is best but it seems any 555 might work.
Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
11–20 of 100 posts
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#12I wonder how many websites / applications would break or error if a user tried to enter a valid 555 number.
[deleted]
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#13Very fun article, thanks for sharing :) I think the current title ‘You could own a 555-XXXX phone number but Verizon’s charged you $2,500 to use it’ doesn’t capture how bad the deal was —- here’s the relevant quote from the article > Verizon was notorious for charging high fees to establish service to 555 numbers, charging $2,500 for each area code that you wanted your 555 number to be routed in.
This is the craziest part of the whole article - imagine you wanted to own something like "555-FOOD" - to have this vanity number work in every area code, you'd be looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars (annually?) if you used Verizon to route the calls
so, cheaper than a premium domain name.
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you look at a telephone keypad with letters, 3453 can be mapped to FILE. So the number would be 555-FILE (which would be a reasonable mnemonic for something to do with taxes).
A good thought. It made me wonder if they used to advertise like that but stopped as that style of phone has all but vanished. From 2005-2010, they used 800-555-8778. In 2011, they used 800-555-4477, and then switched to 3453 in 2012. In none of the years from 2012-2015 did they advertise on the homepage with 555-file, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone originally did pick that number for that reason and after th…
my Android smartphone and iPad have letters on the number pad.
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#15Very fun article, thanks for sharing :) I think the current title ‘You could own a 555-XXXX phone number but Verizon’s charged you $2,500 to use it’ doesn’t capture how bad the deal was —- here’s the relevant quote from the article > Verizon was notorious for charging high fees to establish service to 555 numbers, charging $2,500 for each area code that you wanted your 555 number to be routed in.
Likely because large movies were already willing to pay for such...
I've never tried to call a 555 num from a movie because it was "common knowledge" that they were fake...
I had NO idea that you could actually call one....
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#16This title is really poor. It was $2500 per area code you connect to, and no longer offered. Not exactly something to write home about.
> no longer offered The title says "charged", not "charges". Re the per area code, I agree, it was also my first thought, but I can't think of any way the poster could have concisely included that in the title
“You could own” is present tense. Perhaps “could have” would be better?
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#17These numbers can be used in some test situations where you want to eliminate the possibility of accidentally sending SMS or calling someone. 555-01xx is best but it seems any 555 might work.
555 is also used in TV shows when the script requires a phone number to be read out.
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
> no longer offered The title says "charged", not "charges". Re the per area code, I agree, it was also my first thought, but I can't think of any way the poster could have concisely included that in the title
“You could own” is present tense. Perhaps “could have” would be better?
"Could" can be both the conditional present tense or preterite tense in English (at least AmE). It's ambiguous.
Re: Overview of the 555-XXXX phone number
#19As an aside, loved when shows would acquire a real number to use, the best being CALL-TUR(K) from Scrubs
“I’ll always dial the ‘k’ for you”